Now without the scorching 30-degree temperatures that Ontario has been forced to endure, attending outdoor festivals can finally be enjoyable again, and it all begins with the changing of the leaves.

With summer officially at a close, the steady decrease in temperature ushers in the beautiful fall season, and with that comes the steady stream of festivals and events pertaining to everything from pumpkin spice, to apple dumplings, to haunted freights to warm and cozy sweaters.

An amazing help to the creation and development of these fall festivals is Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO).

“FEO is a non-for-profit organization that supports the festival industry and event organizers as well as festival suppliers,” said Nichole Fogarty, marketing and communications co-ordinator for FEO.

For the past 25 years FEO has continued to support community services in creating bigger, better and more entertaining events year after year.

“How we help support the communities is through education, providing networking, conferencing, awards and helping to do some marketing. Event organizers themselves are the ones that bring their communities together. Through volunteers they create a festival in their community,” Fogarty said.

This year the festivals and events have returned, bigger and better than ever, and with the help of FEO, finding the ones you want to go to has become much easier.

“The festivals are based on what their communities are in to. It could be culture, it could be beer, it could be anything, but it is entirely up to the community. Then in the fall, because of all the harvests and colder weather, we get a different series of festivals that take place, which is apart of our culture being in the North,” Fogarty said.

FEO is always accepting submissions for new event ideas, and current members can also apply to the festivals awards program for the 2017 calendar year.

For more information on FEO and where to find a list of Ontario’s Top 100 Fall Events 2016,  visit festivalsandeventsontario.ca and follow the FEO publication downloads to find an entire rundown for the years events.

Carp Fair Sept. 22 to 25 (Carp, Ont.)

A fair that has been a yearly tradition since 1863, the Carp Fair was named, “Best little fair in Canada”, and has since grown to be one of the largest agricultural fairs in the capital region.

The Carp Fair features rides and vendors, live music, world-class horse shows, petting zoos and the President’s Choice SuperDogs. The Carp Fair is a fun weekend in the country for anyone wanting to breathe in the fresh fall air.

Beau’s Octoberfest Sept. 23 to 24  (Vankleek Hill, Ont.)

This will be the seventh annual signature Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co. fundraiser. This year Beau’s Octoberfest’s signature charity will be The Hawkesbury & District General Hospital Foundation, with many other funds also going to organizations such as the Vankleek Hill Agricultural Society, United Way, Ottawa RiverKeeper, P45 Skateboard Park Montreal and many more. To top off the home brewed craft beer that will be served, there will also be musical acts from Canadian bands such as the Born Ruffians and the Fast Romantics.

Pumpkinferno at Upper Canada Village Sept. 30 to Oct. 30 (Morrisburg, Ont.)

Returning for its fifth season, Pumpkinferno is a month-long event with an instillation of artist-inspired hand carved glowing pumpkins.

The outdoor exhibit contains close to 7,000 handcrafted pumpkins displayed against the nightlife aesthetic of the village.

Pumpkinferno displays and attractions have earned the title of “Best New Event in Ontario” by Festival and Events Ontario, “Tourism Event of the Year” by the Tourism Industry Association of         Ontario and “New Company of the Year” by Ottawa Tourism.

Doors Open & Culture Days London Oct. 1 to 2 (London, Ont.)

This free city-wide event features over 100 different arts and heritage activities across 40 different sites all around London. It is London’s largest collection and celebration of culture and brings together art, music, food, culture, activism, family and heritage to help showcase what an amazing city London is to live in.

Some sites included this year are: the Fanshawe Pioneer Village, The Arts Project, London Clay Art Centre, The Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory, West Minster Ponds and many more.

Blue Mountains Apple Harvest Festival Oct. 8 to 10 (Thornbury & Clarksburg, Ont.)

Ontario’s largest apple growing region has its annual harvest festival on Thanksgiving weekend to celebrate yet another successful season.

Family activities, live music, native species exhibits, pie eating    contests, a wide array of every possible way to eat an apple and hiking the Apple Pie trails are only some of the many attractions that this festival brings to the table.

Aurora’s Haunted Forest Oct. 29 (York, Durham and Hills of Headwaters, Ont.)

As a completely volunteer driven event, Aurora’s Haunted Forest brings the spirit of Halloween to Aurora through various activities, decorated trails and spooky cabins to explore.

In addition to the festivities there is also a charity-run BBQ, as well as crafts and games to be enjoyed at the Aurora Family Leisure Complex Centre.

Bala Cranberry Festival Oct. 14 to 16 (Bala, Ont.)

For the celebration of cranberries, the Bala Cranberry Festival takes place the weekend after Thanksgiving and is held during the harvest of thousands of cranberries. The festival was created with the purpose of uniting a community and improving the lives of its people by providing financial assistance to organizations and individuals in need. The festival offers tours of two cranberry marshes, live entertainment, juried arts and crafts and all the cranberries you could ever wish to eat.